What equipment will i need for a larger tank?

You'll probably need a powerhead or two and the lighting, plus what you already listed.

 

Depending on the filter you choose you will probably need a powerhead to help keep the water moving. Remember with saltwater you will want to really overfilter the water.

 

If you look for something that filters 400GPH that should be fine.

 

you'll also want to think about an ro/di unit to prefilter your water that you use for tank maintainence live rock will be fine for a puffer. If your going to spend some time putting this tank together you could make your own live rock and after it is fully cured put it into the tank. Don't forget your test kits. I would say something along the lines of 2 mj1200's would work well for your application. Remember that puffers need something to shave there teeth down so make sure to give it something to chew on when I had mine I'd buy a few littleneck clams at the grocery store and toss them in the tank after warming them up in a cup of tank water. If you need any ther help don't be afraid to ask.

 

The RO unit is something I wouldn't worry about personally.

 

With or without live rock you'll need the same basic equipment.

A tank with or without a canopy is up to you. The canopy gives the tank a more clean look but it's not necessary.

I assume MJ1200 is Maxijet 1200's which are powerheads. It could also be a pump though, depending on if MJ was abbreviated for Maxijet or not.

 

Try Big Al's and Drs Foster And Smith. That's where I purchased all my equipment.

 

You may not need two powerheads but I would suggest at least one to keep the water flowing nicely in the tank. For live rock you can use a small T5 setup (2 bulbs).

 

mj1200= maxijet 1200. personnally I would ditch the filter idea and put that money towards a really nice skimmer. Use about 2lbs / gallon of live rock with a 2 inch bed of sand and that should handle your filtration(as long as you have a good skimmer) not useing ro/di will cause problems down the road for most with algea have your tap water tested for nitrite/nitrates, phosphates, tds (total dissolved solids), sulphur, heavy metals, pretty much everything. Also if you end up useing tap water don't forget to treat it first. As far as lights go if your not going to have coral in your tank any lighting that you like will do. You might also think about macro algea for your tank to help with nutrient exportation. check ebay for equipment if you look hard you could save a bundle

 

brands are less important than how they function when it comes to equipment. Unfortunatly the only way to figure it out is trial and error alot of the time because what works for me may not work for you. Maxijet makes good power heads I've heard alot of good words about octopus skimmers Use multiple small heaters instead of one large one saliferts test kits are very accurate don't forget a refractometer somewhere along the line as there way more accurate than swing arms check out fishneedit.com and ebay for lighting a t5ho 4 bulb or larger will be a minimum for coral growth on a 40g tank. Your puffer may or may not nip corals so pay close attention if your good at diy projects or have someone to help you you should be able to find everything you need to build your lighting setup and maybe even a skimmer if you can find a small ro/di unit for a good price you should pick it up you'll thank yourself down the road, if you choose not to use it make sure to pretreat the water and be very strict on your tank maintanence schedule